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2. Agenda. The Importance of Building the Evidence BaseBackground on EFER Recent EFER studiesMethodologies and LessonsOpportunities and Challenges for the Future. 3. The Importance of Building the Evidence Base. AwarenessTremendous amount of activity, important to capture a view on as much
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1. 1987-2007: 20 YEARS OF PROMOTING ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION IN EUROPE Karen Wilson, Advisor, EFER
NCGE IEEC 2007
Building the Evidence Base
Cambridge, September 2007
2. 2 Agenda
The Importance of Building the Evidence Base
Background on EFER
Recent EFER studies
Methodologies and Lessons
Opportunities and Challenges for the Future
3. 3 The Importance of Building the Evidence Base Awareness
Tremendous amount of activity, important to capture a view on as much of it as possible.
Until recently, the focus has been mostly on certain types of schools and programs we are missing a huge piece of the picture!
Common terminology
Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Enterprise, Innovation
Still a great deal of confusion and mixed use of these terms
Complicated further on an international scale due to varying language translations.
4. 4 The Importance of Building the Evidence Base (cont.) Monitoring trends
Analyzing growth in entrepreneurship education across different types of schools and universities, regions and countries.
Commonalities, differences, new approaches
Sharing practices
Looking in-depth at existing programs and sharing practices and learning across universities.
Clear objectives and measurement
Understanding clearly from the start which outcomes are desired and being able to measure the results.
5. 5 EFER Mission
The European Foundation for Entrepreneurship Research (EFER) fosters and promotes research and teaching in the field of entrepreneurship at institutions of higher education across Western and Eastern Europe.
1987-2007: 20 YEARS
www.efer.eu
6. 6 EFERs Activities are Focused on Five Main Areas Initiate entrepreneurship training programs for European professors
Harvard Business School EECPCL Program 2005-2008
Build and strengthen faculty networks and collaboration across national borders in Europe
Two EFER/EECPCL roundtable network meetings a year
Encourage and support the exchange of faculty between countries
Pilot one week EFER Bologna Faculty Exchange Program to launch during academic year 2007/2008
Support the development of European entrepreneurship cases and course materials
Conduct surveys and research
7. 7 EFERs Pan-European Reach
8. 8
Drives EFERs Pan-European Network
9. 9 Faculty Networking, Collaboration & Exchange
10. 10 Surveys and Research Surveys and research studies
Studies on entrepreneurship education in Europe
Comparisons between the U.S. and Europe
Identification of entrepreneurs: creation of Europes 500
Recent studies
Universities as Entrepreneurial Hubs: A study of 22 Universities Across Europe and the U.S. (2007)
Mapping of Entrepreneurship in German Speaking Countries (2007)
8 Centers of Dynamic Entrepreneurship (2006)
Breeding Gazelles: The Role of European Universities (2004)
European Entrepreneurship Education Pilot Survey (2004)
Red Paper on Entrepreneurship (2001)
Developing Entrepreneurships Programs in MBA Schools (2000)
European Entrepreneurship and Funding (2000)
11. 11 Key Findings from 2004 Survey Dramatic growth in entrepreneurship education in Europe is expected to continue.
However, entrepreneurship remains primarily elective.
Entrepreneurship still tends to be offered in stand alone courses, rather than being integrated across the curriculum.
A greater critical mass of entrepreneurship faculty, research and course material is needed.
Networks between faculty teaching entrepreneurs across Europe are limited.
Most survey respondents work at academic institutions in their home country.
Less than 20% spend time teaching outside of the country.
While innovative teaching approaches are being tested throughout Europe, there has been little sharing of these practices across borders.
There is a strong interest for further training in the teaching of entrepreneurship.
12. 12 Is There Too Much Focus on The Start-up Phase? Many respondents commented that the heavy focus on the start-up phase may be overshadowing the more important trends in entrepreneurship in Europe:
Culture, attitudes, skills
Growth phases of entrepreneurial firms
Difference between SMEs vs high growth companies
Intrapreneurship within companies
The percentage of alumni from European schools starting companies is also still relatively small, only 10% according to survey respondents:
However, only 50% of the schools currently track alumni starting companies
Also, most graduates start companies later in their career and, with many of the European programs being relatively new, it is hard to measure the impact of these programs.
13. 13 Survey Conclusions: More Focus Needed in Number of Areas Curriculum development
Creating a critical mass of well trained entrepreneurship professors
Building sustainable funding for entrepreneurship education
Cross-border faculty and research collaborations
Facilitation of spin outs from technical and scientific institutions
14. 14 Key Points from German-speaking University Mapping There is much more entrepreneurship related activity at German-speaking universities than previously thought
Importance of looking beyond the entrepreneurship label
Many Chairs, Centers and activities are entrepreneurship affiliated and should be included
The Chairs are relatively well-staffed and serve as an important hub for providing teaching, generating research, launching activities and raising awareness.
The German-speaking technical and scientific universities have been front-runners in entrepreneurship
Only 2 out of 17 technical universities did NOT have an entrepreneurship or affiliated chair.
Phase II: Conduct interviews to look more closely at the technical universities and their activities.
15. 15 Current: Universities as Entrepreneurial Hubs Academic institutions need to facilitate entrepreneurial activity by creating strong
networks around them.
16. 16 Several Key Themes Are Evident Across Many Schools Curriculum
Entrepreneurship courses offered for increasing number and range of students
Degree programs or specialization available
Cross-disciplinary initiatives
Joint ventures/partnerships with other departments and schools (often between business schools and technical universities but also increasing with medicine, arts, design, etc.)
Outreach
Strong links and partnerships with the business community and local entrepreneurs
Recognition and involvement of the schools alumni often leading to significant financial support
17. 17 Key Themes (cont.) Funding
Funded Chairs and Entrepreneurship Centers to support and develop university entrepreneurship teaching, research and activities
But mostly funded by the public sector, not the private sector (as in the U.S.)
Funds and support for entrepreneurial ideas developed by researchers, students and alumni
Technology Transfer
Programs to encourage the creation of spin outs (from the technical universities)
Licensing/relationship building with technology firms (local and global)
Continued learning, development and exchange
Developing and sharing entrepreneurship research, courses materials and cases
Encouraging exchange of practices with other schools and across borders, including running workshops and training programs for teachers
18. 18 Methodologies of Recent EFER Research
19. 19 Survey/Research Process Lessons Initial mapping and online searches useful as a baseline but insufficient in themselves
Many websites are not comprehensive and/or up-to-date
Surveys and interviews are necessary for accurate, current information
Finding the right contact(s) within the university is very important
Institutional view vs individual faculty perspective
Information sharing within the university is usually an issue
Senior administrators are often not fully aware of the scope of entrepreneurship teaching and activities
Individual faculty and/or entrepreneurship champions do not always have a university-wide perspective
There are tremendous differences across Europe in terms of systems, titles (Chairs, Professorships, Centers) and definitions
This needs to be taken into account when conducting cross-Europe studies and comparisons.
20. 20 Opportunities and Challenges for the Future
21. 21 Contact Information European Foundation for
Entrepreneurship Research
Arena Office Park 1, Marathon 9H
1213 PE Hilversum, the Netherlands
Phone: +31(0)35 642 0709
Fax: +31(0)35 642 0609
Bert Twaalfhoven: btwaalfhoven@efer.eu
Karen Wilson: kwilson@efer.eu
www.efer.eu